Home » Jazz Articles » Multiple Reviews » Dan Tepfer: Oxygen & Duets with Lee
Dan Tepfer: Oxygen & Duets with Lee
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Dan Tepfer Oxygen DIZ Productions 2009 | Dan Tepfer Duets with Lee Sunnyside 2009 |
The full arrival of pianist Dan Tepfer has been signaled by his recent sideman work with the august alto saxophonist
Lee Konitz
saxophone, alto1927 - 2020
Paul Bley
piano1932 - 2016
Bill Evans
piano1929 - 1980
Steve Kuhn
pianob.1938
Keith Jarrett
pianob.1945
Tepfer leads his trio on Oxygen, its title track emblematic of the entire disc's approach. Angular and twisting, it grasps its groove cautiously, as Jorge Roeder and Richie Barshay's bass and drums briefly sit out while Tepfer wanders alone. All three are continually investigating the melody's forward path, until an emphatic climax is eventually reached, everything subsequently breaking down into dispersal. There's a low level of incidence as the three move into "Sweet Talk," with its brushing balladry. A few months ago, "Billie Jean" would have been a crass tune-choice, but now it's a crass tune-choice with an unexpected topicality. Anyway, Tepfer manages to perform a thorough dissection. Each tune (there are pieces penned by
John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
Joe Henderson
saxophone1937 - 2001
Steve Lacy
saxophone, soprano1934 - 2004
Tepfer's touch is highlighted even more on Duos With Lee, as he meets a fellow lover of spacious reflection. The session is dominated by its ten-part "Elande" sequence, each part of the suite keeping to around two minutes. The run is broken up between "6" and "7" by Tepfer's "Merka Tikva." These pieces are freely improvised, with the only frame being a gradual key-progression decided in advance. Even though spontaneity rules, these short creations revolve around lyrical melodies, instantaneously formed. The first "Elande" begins like it's already in progress, Konitz establishing a very verbal tone and phrasing as he elegantly sends out his lines. He bends and chews, sliding between the notes, as the stripling Tepfer dances around, nimbly echoing or underlining the veteran's bobbing path. On the bandstand, Tepfer is definitely capable of a lustier approach, but these two discs reveal a very compatible aspect that is his more studied and delicate side. They nestle together on the shelf with an intimate compatibility.
Tracks and Personnel
Oxygen
Tracks: Oxygen; Sweet Talk; Billie Jean; Moment's Notice; Inner Urge; Not for Sissies; Equivalence; Every Day; Bone.
Personnel: Dan Tepfer: piano; Jorge Roeder: bass; Richie Barshay: drums.
Duets with Lee
Tracks: Elande No. 1(F#); Elande No. 2 (Bb); Elande No. 3 (A); Elande No. 4 (B); Elande No. 5 (D); Elande No. 6 (G#); Merka Tikva; Elande No. 7 (F); Eland No. 8 (G); Elande No. 9 (E); Elande No. 10 (Free for Paree); No Lee; Trees.
Personnel: Lee Konitz: alto saxophone; Dan Tepfer: piano.
Tags
Dan Tepfer
Multiple Reviews
Martin Longley
United States
New York
New York City
Lee Konitz
Paul Bley
Bill Evans
Steve Kuhn
Keith Jarrett
JORGE ROEDER
Richie Barshay
John Coltrane
Joe Henderson
Steve Lacy
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